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Following a pair of five-figure Custom versions, here’s the everyman Greeny. But is it a valid introduction or simply a slightly pimped version of an existing Les Paul?

- Dave Burrluck

Few guitars come with such a historic and evocative backstory as this one. Pretty much whatever your age or taste in music, at least one if not all of the players involved – Peter Green, Gary Moore and Kirk Hammett, oh, and let’s not forget Les Paul himself – will be on your playlist. The appeal, the blanket publicity and the social media buzz mean that this guitar is a more than significant introduction. But what do we actually get for £3k?

It seems like a modded Les Paul Standard ’50s, the cornerstone of the Original Series, which has remained unchanged since its introduction, under new ownership, in late 2019. But thanks to its satin nitro finish, it’s actually based on the Faded version that appeared last year.

As for the pimps to its starting point, first off, we get a maple top upgrade from AA to AAA. Then, reflecting the neck repairs of the original Greeny model, the headstock is left plain with no ‘Les Paul Model’ script or any truss rod cover ID. The toggle switch ring is left plain, too, and the control knobs differ, a Gary Moore mod we believe: the bridge pickup’s pair has the gold top-hat knobs with silver reflectors of the current ’60s models, while the neck pickup has the standard gold top-hat knobs of the ’50s Standards.

The Greeny Burst finish is a slightly deeper-hued version of the Faded’s Vintage Honey Burst and is applied just to the top; the rest is a mid-brown stain over the slightly open-pore feel of the lighter coloured mahogany. We also get Grover Rotomatic tuners with ‘contemporary’ Schaller-like knobs, not the vintage Kluson style of the current ’50s guitars.